Busan KCC defeated Ulsan Hyundai Mobis and won the first KBL Cup since its founding. It was a great comeback drama that overcame a 20-point deficit in the first quarter. It was even more valuable because it was a win in Gunsan, which was the team's second home stadium before moving to Busan last summer. KCC players and Jeonbuk fans from Jeonju and Gunsan also gave each other their final greetings. New foreign player Alize DeShawn Johnson was awarded the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP) honor.
KCC defeated Hyundai Mobis 81-76 in the finals of the 2023 MG Saemaeul Geumgo KBL Cup held at Wolmyeong Gymnasium in Gunsan on the 15th. This is KCC’s first time winning a cup competition. They also achieved the milestone of winning all games (4 wins), including the group stage.
The significance of this day was even more special as the battlefield was Wolmyeong Gymnasium in Gunsan, which was used as KCC's second home stadium until last season when it was based in Jeonju. After a long conflict with Jeonju City, KCC eventually moved its headquarters to Busan ahead of this season. He couldn't even say a proper farewell to the Jeonju and Gunsan fans, for whom he received a lot of love, but on this day, along with his victory, he gave his final greeting with a banner saying, 'We will not forget the love of Jeonbuk fans.' KCC fans, who visited the stadium in large numbers that day, also gave warm applause to the players.
In this tournament, KCC defeated Daegu Korea Gas Corporation and Changwon LG in the group stage, and then defeated the defending champion Suwon KT in the semifinals the previous day. KCC continued its momentum all the way to the final stage and achieved the result of winning the first cup competition since its founding. The winning prize is 50 million won.
Johnson won the honor of MVP, which was decided by a vote of reporters. On this day, Johnson recorded a 'double-double' with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, receiving 43 out of 71 votes. Johnson, who set a new record for the most points scored in a cup competition by scoring a whopping 40 points the day before, scored more than 18 points in all four games of this tournament, and especially achieved double-doubles in the last three games in a row. In the first tournament of his first season in KBL, he received the honor of MVP.
On the other hand, Hyundai Mobis bowed, unable to maintain its 20-point lead in the first quarter. After losing to Suwon KT in the finals of last year's competition and missing out on the championship, they had to be content with second place in the cup competition for the second year in a row. The runner-up received 30 million won in prize money.
Machan professional basketball, which completed the cup competition schedule with the finals of the two teams on this day, will begin the long journey of the new 2023-24 season through the opening media day on the 16th and the opening game on the 21st.
It was Hyundai Mobis that took the lead in the first quarter. The lead was not lost after taking a 4-2 lead with Kim Tae-wan's fast break layup following a steal early in the first quarter. Lee Woo-seok's outside gun and Kim Tae-wan and Gage Prim's scores widened the gap.
KCC also launched a counterattack, but Seung-Hyun Lee and Alize DeShawn Jones' shots were repeatedly ineffective. Hyundai Mobis widened the gap to 20-4 with Ham Ji-hoon's steal, Lee Woo-seok's 3-point shot, and Prim and Seo Myeong-jin's consecutive scores.
Once Hyundai Mobis gained momentum, its momentum was unstoppable. Kim Jun-il and Lee Woo-seok's consecutive scores and Kim Tae-wan's outside shot added to the victory. KCC also launched a counterattack with Laguna at the forefront, but the gap that had already widened was not easily narrowed.
In the first quarter, Hyundai Mobis leads 35-15, 20 points. Hyundai Mobis' field goal success rate in the first quarter reached 75%, while KCC's was only 50%. There was a large gap in rebounds, 8-2, and there were 5 turnovers for KCC and 1 for Hyundai Mobis.